Holder for tape cartridges

ABSTRACT

A truck having means for supporting a plurality of tape cartridge holders and used for transferring a plurality of tape cartridges is provided with rotatable means for supporting the tape cartridges holders so that the tape cartridges in the tape cartridge holders are readily accessible to the operator even in relatively narrow aisles.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 774,056,filed 9/9/85, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,860.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a tape cartridge storage system inwhich a plurality of tape cartridges are stored in suitable means andwhich tape cartridges are removed when it is desired to use them andthen returned to the tape cartridge storage system and more particularlyto a a holder having means for temporarily storing a plurality of tapecartridges so that the truck may be readily moved into the tapecartridge storage system to remove or return a plurality of tapecartridges.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of computers in today's business operations has created tworelated problems associates with the tape cartridges used with thecomputers. The first problem relates to a storage system which isreadily accessible so that tape cartridges can be removed from orreturned to the storage system. There are commercially available truckswhich are provided with means for holding a plurality of tape cartridgesand which are provided with wheels for easy movement thereof. The trucksmay be moved into the tape cartridge storage system, tape cartridgesremoved from the storage system and transported to the computer for useand then returned to the tape cartridge storage system. With the everincreasing cost of floor space, it is necessary and desirable that theaisle space in a tape cartridge storage system be kept to a minimum.This has resulted in limiting the size of the trucks used intransporting the tape cartridges and also in limiting the number of tapecartridges that can be loaded onto the truck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a truck for use in transporting stape cartridgesto and from a tape cartridge storage system and areas in which the tapecartridges are used. The truck is provided with means for holding aplurality of tapes which means have four sides in which tape cartridgesmay be positioned. The holding means are rotatably mounted so that theside from which the tape cartridges are to be returned to or retrievedfrom the tape cartridge storage system is readily accessible to theoperator.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the truck comprises a baseon the bottom surface of which are secured a plurality of casters withat least one of the casters being swivelly mounted so that the truck canbe turned but more preferably two casters are swivelly mounted. Thetruck has a generally rectangular horizontal cross-sectionalconfiguration having two relatively long sides and two relatively shortsides. A support wall is mounted on the base along one of the shortsides. A support panel is secured to the upper end of the support walland extends therefrom in a direction generally parallel to the base.Additional means are provided to maintain the support panel in theparallel position. Means are provided for holding a plurality of tapecartridges and such holding means are located between the support walland the base. The holding means are provided with four sides into whichtape cartridges may be placed and such holding means is rotatablymounted so that one side may be readily accessible to the operator asdesired. Means are provided to retain the rotatable holding means in adesired position. A space exists between the holding means and thesupport wall so that the holding means may be rotated. The capability ofbeing able to utilize four sides for the temporary storage of the tapecartridges allows a maximum number of tapes to be stored on a truck ofminimum dimensions.

It is an object of this invention to provide a truck use in transportinga plurality of tape cartridges to and from a tape cartridge storagesystem and areas in which the tape cartridges are used which truck canhold a maximum number of tape cartridges while having minimumdimensions.

It is another object of this invention to provide a truck for use intransporting a plurality of tape cartridges to and from a tape cartridgestorage system and areas in which the tape cartridges are used whereinthe truck is provided with means so that the tape cartridges storedthereon are readily accessible to the operator even in narrow aisles.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tape cartridgeholder that is readily transportable and that has means for releasablyretaining each of the tape cartridges in the tape cartridge holder.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention areset forth in part in the description which follows which will beunderstood by those skilled in the art upon examination of the followingor may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects andadvantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of theinstrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of various components of a truck and oneembodiment of the rotatably mounted means for holding tape cartridges ofthis invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembled truck of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of a tape cartridge holder;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line 4--4 of FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a retaining means;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of a tapecartridge holder;

FIG. 8 is a view with parts in section taken along the line 8--8 of FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the rotatablymounted means for holding tape cartridges; and

FIG. 10 is an assembled view of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A truck 2 of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 and comprises agenerally rectangular base 4 having two relatively long sides 6 and 8and two relatively short sides 10 and 12. A roller 14 is secured on thebottom of the base 4 adjacent to each corner thereof with the casters 16and 18, illustrated in FIG. 2, being swivelly mounted casters.

A support wall 20 having two reinforcing columns 22 and 24 is secured tothe base 4 along the relatively short side 12 by suitable means, such asby welding. A support panel 26 having a border formed by a U-shapedreinforcing channel 28 is secured to the top of the support wall 20. Thesupport panel 26 extends outwardly from the support wall 20 in adirection so that it is generally parallel to the base 4. A cylindricaltube 30 extends between the support panel 26 and the base 4 and helps tosupport the support panel 26 in the parallel relationship with the base4. The tube 30 is retained in position by means comprising a base 32 anda cylindrical sleeve 34 secured to the top surface of the base 4 and abase 36 and a cylindrical sleeve 38 secured to the bottom surface of thesupport panel 26. If desired the end of the cylindrical tube 30 can besecured in the cylindrical sleeve 34 by suitable means such as bywelding or by a set screw.

The reinforcing channel 28 is provided with spaced apart openings 40 and42 adapted to receive the ends 44 and 46 of a handle 48. The handle 48is secured in position by suitable means such as screws 50 passingthrough openings 52 and 54 in the reinforcing channel 28 and threadedlysecured in openings 56 and 58 in the handle 48.

The means for holding the tape cartridges on the truck 2 in oneembodiment of the invention comprises four housings 60, 62, 64 and 66.Each of the housings 60, 62, 64 and 66 comprises a rear wall 68, a topwall 70, a bottom wall 72 and two opposing side walls 74 and 76. Aplurality of spaced apart shelves 78 are secured at the end thereof tothe adjacent side wall 74 or 76 by suitable means, such as by welding.The top wall 70 and the shelves 78 have a U-shaped cross-sectionalconfiguration with the opening facing downwardly. The housings 60, 62,64 and 66 are mounted on a plate 80 so that the outer surface of eachside wall 74 is in contact with a portion of the outer surface of eachrear wall 68. The plate 80 is provided with plurality of spaced apartopenings 82, 84, 86 and 88 for a purpose to be described below. Theplate 80 is provided with a central opening 90 having a reinforcingflange 92. The housings 60, 62, 64 and 66 are secured to the plate 80 bysuitable means, such as by welding and are positioned on the plate 80 sothat a central passageway extends between the facing portions of theback walls 68. The cross-sectional area of the central passageway isgreater than the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical tube 30. Aplate 94 having a central opening 96 having a reinforcing flange 98 issecured to each top wall 70 of the housings 60, 62, 64 and 66. A lowerbearing means 100 and an upper bearing means 102 are provided for apurpose to be described below.

A truck 2 is assembled by securing the casters 14 to the bottom of thebase 4 with the casters 16 and 18 being swivelly mounted. The base 32and the support wall 20 are secured in position on the base 4. Thecylindrical tube 30 is inserted into the cylindrical sleeve 34 andsecured therein by welding. The lower bearing means 100, having an innerdiameter greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical tube 30 andthe cylindrical sleeve 34, is moved over the cylindrical tube 30 and thecylindrical sleeve 30 so that the lower portion of the bearing means 100is supported on the base 32. The housings 60, 62, 64 and 66 are securedto the plates 80 and 94 and are positioned around the cylindrical tube30. The opening 90 in the plate 80 has an inner diameter greater thanthe outer diameter of the cylindrical tube 30 and the cylindrical sleeve34 so that the plate 80 can be moved into contact with and supported bythe upper portion of the bearing means 100. The upper bearing means 102,having an inner diameter greater than the cylindrical tube 30, is movedover the cylindrical tube 30 until the lower portion of the bearingmeans 102 is in contact with and supported by the plate 94. The base 36is secured to the bottom surface of the support panel 26 and the top endof the cylindrical tube 30 is inserted into the cylindrical sleeve 38and secured thereto by welding or a set screw. The outer diameter of thecylindrical sleeve 38 is less than the inner diameter of the opening 96and the inner diameter of the bearing means 102 so that the cylindricalsleeve may be moved downwardly until the base 36 is in contact with andsupported by the upper portion of the bearing means 102. The supportpanel is then secured to the top of the support wall 20. The ends 44 and46 of the handle 48 are inserted through the openings 40 and 42 andsecured to the reinforcing channel 28 by the screws 50. In this manner,the assembled housings 60, 62, 64 and 66 are rotatably mounted on thetrack 2.

Means are provided to retain the assembled housings 60, 62, 64 and 66from rotating and comprises a lever 104 pivotally mounted on the bottomsurface of the base 4 by pivot means 106. A pin 108 is mounted on thelever 104 and is positioned thereon so as to project through an opening110 in the base 4. A torsion spring 112 is secured to the bottom surfaceof the base 4 and the top surface of the lever 104 and functions to urgethe pin 108 upwardly so that the pin 108 projects upwardly through theopening 110 a distance to ensure that the end of the pin 108 willproject into one of the openings 82, 84, 86 or 88 in the plate 80 so asto prevent rotation of the plate 80. When it is desired to rotate theplate 80 and therefore the assembled housings 60, 62, 64 and 66, the end114 of the lever 104 is depressed so that the end of the pin 108 isremoved from its position in one of the openings 82, 84, 86 and 88.After rotation of the assembled housings has been started, the end 114of the lever is released so that the end of the pin 108 as urged by thespring 112 will automatically enter into the next one of the openings82, 84, 86 or 88 and stop rotation of the assembled housings 60, 62, 64and 66.

A tape cartridge storage holder 116 is illustrated in FIG. 3 andcomprises a hollow housing 118 having end walls 120 and 122, a top wall124, a bottom wall 126, a back wall 128 and a front opening 130. Anupper flange 132 extends upwardly from the top wall 124 and a bottomflange 134 extends downwardly from the bottom wall 126. A panel 136extends between the end walls 120 and 122 so as to divide the housing118 in half and provide a bottom shelf 138 and a top shelf 140 on whichtape cartridges may be supported. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the panel136 has an upper portion 142 and a lower portion 144 joined by twovertically extending supports 146 and 148. A plurality of reinforcingribs 150 extend between and are connected to the upper portion 142 andthe lower portion 144. A plurality of partitions 152 extend upwardlyfrom the bottom shelf 138 and extend continuously along the back wall128 and extend downwardly from the lower portion 144 of the panel 136. Asimilar plurality of partitions 154 extend upwardly from the top shelf140 and extend continuously along the back wall 128 and extenddownwardly from the top wall 124. The partitions 152 and 154 effectivelyform a plurality of individual compartments each of which houses a tapecartridge.

Each tape cartridge holder 116 is provided with means for retaining thetape cartridge holder in position between adjacent shelves, illustratedin FIG. 5. Two spaced apart tabs 156 and 158 are formed in the top wall124 and the upper flange 132. Each tab 156 and 158 is formed by a pairof spaced apart slots 160 and 162 joined by another slot 164. Each tab156 and 158 have a projection 166 having an inclined cam surface 168. Asthe tape cartridge holder 116 is being inserted between adjacent shelves78, the lower edge of the upper shelf 78 will contact the cam surface168 and move the tab 156 downwardly. After the tape cartridge holder 116has been fully inserted into position with the upper flange 132 and thelower flange 134 in contact the facing surfaces of the associatedshelves 78, the lower end of the upper shelf 78 will be located in thespace 170 formed by the projection 166. In another embodiment (notshown) of the invention, only one centrally mounted tab is used. In FIG.2, a plurality of tape cartridge holders 116 having a plurality ofindividual tape cartridges 172 installed therein are illustrated inassembled position on the shelves. It is noted that each tape cartridge172 extends outwardly beyond the surfaces of the panels 132 and 134 andthe support 146 so that the individual tape cartridges 172 may begrasped during insertion and removal. When it is desired to remove thetape cartridge holder 116, the tabs 156 and 158 are depressed to movethe projections downwardly and the tape cartridge holder 116 is removed.The upper and lower flanges 132 and 134 also serve as handles so thatthe tape cartridge holders 116 may be readily transported for use as ascratch tray, staging tray or off-site media container.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a tray 174 for holding tape cartridge reels176 has a bottom portion thereof (not shown) seated within the channel28. If desired, the tray 174 can be shaped to hold tape cartridges.

The various components of the truck 1 are formed from metal such assteel so that they can be readily assembled by welding to form a strongrigid truck. The tape cartridge holders are preferably integrally moldedusing a high density plastic such as hi impact styrene.

In the embodiment of the tape cartridge 116 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and8, the portions thereof which correspond to the tape cartridge holder116 illustrated in FIGS. 3-6 have been identified with the samereference numerals. The tape cartridge holder 116 illustrated in FIGS. 7and 8 is provided with means for securely retaining each cartridge tape172 in position in the holder 116. The securing means comprises a backwall 178 which extends downwardly from the top wall 124 and has a bottomedge 180 spaced substantially above the upper portion 142 which, asillustrated in FIG. 8, is less than one-half the distance between theshelf 140 and the upper surface 141. A plurality of resilient tabs 182extend downwardly from the bottom edge 180 and project inwardly into thetape cartridge holder 116 for a purpose described below. Another backwall 184 extends downwardly from the lower portion 144 and has a bottomedge 186 spaced substantially above the bottom wall 126 which, asillustrated in FIG. 8, is less than one-half the distance between theshelf 138 and the upper surface 139. A plurality of resilient tabs 188extend downwardly from the bottom edge 186 and project inwardly into thetape cartridge holder 116 for a purpose described below. A tapecartridge retaining rib 190 projects upwardly from the upper portion 142and extends from end wall 120 to end wall 122. A similar tape cartridgeretaining rib 192 projects upwardly from the bottom wall 126 and extendsfrom end wall 120 to end wall 122.

The operation of the securing means is illustrated in FIG. 8. Anindividual tape cartridge 172 having a front 194, a top 196, a bottom198 and a back 200 has been inserted into the tape cartridge holder 116.The distance from the top 196 to the bottom 198 of the tape cartridge172 is less than the distance between the top of the retaining rib 190to the bottom surface of the top wall 124 so that the individualcartridge tape 172 may pass therebetween. The individual cartridge tape172 is moved inwardly so that the back 200 contacts and depresses aresilient tab 182. The force exerted by the depressed resilient tab 182causes the individual cartridge tape 172 to tilt so that a portion ofthe bottom 198 contacts the surface of the upper portion 142 and aportion of the top 196 contacts the bottom surface of the top wall 124.Also, the force exerted by the depressed rib 182 urges the individualtape cartridge 172 outwardly so that a portion of the front 194 is movedinto contact with the retaining rib 190. Thus, the individual cartridgetape 172 is securely retained in the tape cartridge holder 116. When itis desired to remove the individual cartridge tape 172, sufficientpressure is applied to the upper portion of the front 194 adjacent tothe top 196 to tilt the individual cartridge tape 172 in the oppositedirection so that the bottom 198 is above the retaining rib 190. Theforce of the depressed rib 182 will then move the individual cartridgetape 172 outwardly so that it may be readily removed from the tapecartridge holder 116.

Another embodiment of the rotatably mounted means for holding tapecartridges is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 and includes the plate 80and a plurality of shelves 202, 204, 206 and 208 each of which comprisesa flat sheet 210 having four flanged side walls 212. The plate 80 isslightly smaller than the shelf 202 so that it fits inside thereof andis welded to the flanged side walls 212. A plurality of panels 214, 216,218 and 220 are provided and as illustrated in FIG. 10 are welded to theflanged side walls 212 so that the shelves 202, 204, 206 and 208 arespaced apart at equal distance. Each of the shelves has a centralopening 222. The assembled unit in FIG. 10 is positioned so that thecylindrical tube 30 passes through the openings 222. The plate 80 issupported on the bearing 100 and is capable of being rotated asdescribed above. The shelves 202, 204, 206 and 208 rotate with the plate80.

It is contemplated that the inventive concepts herein described may bevariously otherwise embodied and it is intended that the appended claimsbe construed to include alternative embodiments of the invention exceptinsofar as limited by the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A holder for tape cartridges comprising:a housingintegrally molded using a relatively rigid plastic material and havingat least one open side; said housing having a pair of opposite endwalls, a top wall and a bottom wall; partition means extending betweenand integral with said pair of opposite end walls and dividing saidhousing into an upper section and a lower section; each of said upperand lower sections having a lower surface on which tape cartridges maybe supported and an opposite upper surface; said upper section having aback wall integral with said pair of opposite end walls and said topwall and terminating at a location which is less than one-half thedistance between said lower surface and said upper surface thereof, saidlower section having a back wall integral with said pair of opposite endwalls and said partition means and terminating at a location which isless than one-half the distance between said lower surface and saidupper surface thereof; compartment forming means in each of said upperand lower sections; each of said compartment forming means forming acompartment having dimensions adapted to receive one tape cartridgetherein; lip means extending upwardly from said lower surface of each ofsaid upper and lower sections and located next adjacent to said one openside; a plurality of resilient tabs extending downwardly from andintegral with said back wall of each of said upper and lower sectionsand having a portion thereof extending into each compartment; and saidportion of said resilient tab located to apply forces to a tapecartridge in said compartment to urge one portion of said tape cartridgeinto contact with said lip means and another portion of said tapecartridge into contact with said upper surface so as to securely retainsaid tape cartridge in said compartment.
 2. A tape cartridge holder asin claim 1 and further comprising:an upper flange extending upwardlyfrom said top wall at an angle of about 90 degrees and being continuousfrom locations adjacent to said end walls and a lower flange extendingdownwardly from said bottom wall at an angle of about 90 degrees andbeing continuous from locations adjacent to said end walls; said upperflange having a front surface and a rear surface; said lower flangehaving a front surface and a rear surface; and said front surfaces ofsaid upper and lower flanges lying in a common plane and said rearsurfaces of said upper and lower flanges lying in a common plane.
 3. Atape cartridge holder as in claim 2 and further comprising:at least oneresilient retaining means in said top wall.